Split Second
by specialsmiley1315
Summary: It's amazing how in one second your life can hang in the balance. Aria Redford needs help and the Winchesters are her only hope.


***Welcome to another one-shot with my OC, Aria Redford. Check out my other stories to get to know more about her. Enjoy and reviews are always appreciated!***

* * *

Pain, and not just any kind, no, the kind that makes your breath catch, your eyes screw shut so tight there's a firework show of Technicolor dots. All I feel is agony. Every pain receptor is firing, making every twitch, breath, or blink torturous. It's like someone's beating me over the head with a hammer nonstop. The hits keep coming and then the blackness comes. That's my gift, a break from my never-ending suffering, but it's snatched away and thrusts me back into reality.

I inhale, gasping at the savage wave of pain that sparks in my chest. My world is upside down and blurry, a wet thickness dripping down to the top of the car. I blink several times trying to clear my vision with no luck. The lights on the dashboard are dead, leaving me in complete darkness.

 _Wha-what happened?_

Bits and pieces manage to make their way to the forefront of my cloudy mind. I remember driving down the country road with the window down and the radio blaring. Sam and Dean were waiting for me in town. Only something happened and now I'm here. The windshield is shattered, taking on the look of a spider's web, and my head pounds relentlessly. A simple guitar tune breaks the dead silence, piercing my ears like a shrill cry. My cellphone screen glows at the top of the car a few inches from my grasp, a name I can't make out displayed on the blue background. I reach for it, a cry ripping from my throat as sharp pangs tear through my chest, up into my outstretched arm. Instinctively, I recoil, creating another agonizing wave to crash through me that steals my breath and makes my vision flicker for a moment. The ringing ends and the car goes dark again, my breathes coming faster than I know is normal.

 _Help._ _Need to get help._

The phone is so close yet so far away, my seatbelt holding me back from getting to my one chance of survival. Keeping my left arm tucked close to my chest, I trail my good hand towards the belt buckle. Every breath is painful, but I push through it, sucking in a deep one and click the red button. A howling scream rips through the night air as I fall from my seat, landing partially on my head and side. White hot fire sears up my leg, the world darkening for a moment, trying to drag me back into unconsciousness.

 _Help._

My hand trails over shards of glass and useless junk, searching for the phone. I feel the cold glass against my fingers and drag it towards me. Blood decorates my skin like dried paint as I sluggishly try to redial the missed number. I don't know how I know it, but whoever called can help me. I lay my head over the speaker, drawing in shallow, labored breaths as I try to fight the fog creeping through my mind.

"Thank fucking, God. Do you know how many times we've called you? Damn it, Aria. Sam and I have run a path into the fucking carpet waiting to hear back."

"D…ne-…hel-"

"Aria?" A sharp gasp escapes my lips with the sudden shiver that runs through me.

"Hel-p."

"What happened? Where are you?"

"Huuurrtt..." I moan, trying to fight against the constant fluttering of my eyelids. "Bad, D'n."

"We're coming right now, do you hear me? I need you keep talking, Aria, all right? Just keep talking." There's rustling in the background and a few curses. Words stutter from my mouth, but no sound comes out. "Hey, I said keep talking, right? Tell me what hurts."

My chest rises and falls quickly, a feeling of bone crushing heaviness weighing over me, making even thinking a near impossible task.

"Aria! Please, A, tell me something!"

The word 'hurry' finally leaves my lips, but the world goes black before I hear Dean.

* * *

 **Dean's POV**

"Dammit, Sam! What does it say?!"

Baby's engine roars through the spring night air, the woods blurring together on either side of us as we race down the road. The speedometer reads one-hundred and twenty miles per hour and I continue to push on the accelerator, making the dial climb higher.

"Another twenty-four miles, Dean." I ignore the snap in Sam's tone, focusing on the road instead.

Aria stopped talking before we even got in the car and that was at least ten minutes ago. My heart beat sounds in my ears loud enough to drown out the roar of the engine. Scenarios play over and over in my mind only making my worry worse. I swallow down the gut wrenching fear and try to clear my mind.

 _What if she's dead?_

My grip on the steering wheel makes my knuckles go white with the thought. Aria Redford is not dead. She can't be. That girl is the closest piece of family I've got left besides Sam and Bobby. If I lose her…

"Dean," I glance at Sam in the passenger seat, noticing the palpable fear in his hazel eyes. "She's a fighter." I clench my jaw and give a curt nod.

Aria's been through a lot for us. She's taken some rough beatings, ones that left Sam and me downright in awe of her persistence.

" _I'll never regret a hit if it means keeping you two safe."_

She's a damn martyr just like us. The girl never knows when to give up either, hard-headed like a damn battering ram and as impulsive as a teenager. I thought it would get her hurt, but most of the time it kept us alive. A growing ache blooms in my chest, digging deep into my bones.

 _She can't be dead._

"Dean, slow down," Sam orders, watching his phone carefully to get the exact area Aria is located based off her phone GPS. The road is bare before us as I hit the brakes, dropping the speed drastically. I scan both lanes and the slopes on either side of the country road as the car crawls over the paved ground. "Here."

The Impala comes to a halt in the middle of the road as I try to see in the dark night. Kaleidoscopes of colors drag my eyes to the asphalt illuminated by the headlights. Black tire treads paint the ground and I hold my breath as I slam the car in park and jump out.

"ARIA!"

Sam's voice rings out after mine as he checks the grassy slope of the right side of the road, coming up empty handed. The woods surround us on both sides and I jog across the right lane to the edge and swallow my tongue. Sam's beside me in a second, frozen. Aria's car is flipped at the bottom of the ravine, a pickup truck T-boned against the passenger side of the upturned vehicle. The two of us snap out of our frozen stupor and slide down the hill. Neither of us checks the driver of the truck, immediately moving to the Mustang.

"Aria! Aria, answer me!" Sam calls as he crouches down trying to see into the crushed vehicle. The windshield is cracked, the spidered glass making it impossible to see inside. I swing around to the driver's side, finding the window blown out and Aria's feet.

"Sam, she's in here." My brother is at my side in a second, taking a peek inside. I glance around panicked, trying to find a way in. Sam pulls on the car door, but it doesn't budge.

"Fuck. We got to pull her out."

I nod, crouching down with him as I grab a leg. Something shifts as I pull her lower leg, a grating sound hitting my ears. I let go, swallowing down the overwhelming fear.

"Her leg's broken," I choke out.

Sam's face blanches and he tugs on her other leg. I'm assuming it's fine because he continues pulling, the scraping of loose glass sounding inside of the car. As soon as her legs are out of the window, Sam grabs her around the waist, reaching in to lift her torso up as he drags her free of the wreckage.

Blood coats her face, soaking the skin of her neck and chest. The red oozes from her hairline, her dark chocolate locks matted with the fluid as it spills down over her eyebrow. I'm on my knees opposite Sam as he sets her down in the grass.

"Aria, wake up. Come on, dammit! Answer me!" I shout, giving her sternum a harsh rub. A pained moan breaks through those closed lips as her body curls in on itself. Sam checks her pulse as I pull out a bandana, presssing it lightly to the wound.

"Dean, she needs a hospital now." The panic in his voice makes me go cold.

"There isn't a hospital for miles," I ramble, trying to think of anything that will get that panicked look off of Sam's face.

"She's going to crash soon, man!" I look up at the starry sky.

 _Fuck. Fuck._

Not her, she can't die. We need her. I need her.

"Castiel! Cas, help!"

The flapping of wings sound behind me and I jump to my feet, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket and jerking him towards Aria's body. "Fix her." He pulls his arm from my grasp, looking down sadly at the huntress,

"Dean, she's too close to death for me to heal her completely."

"Well, do something!" I snarl, glaring at the angel.

"I rebelled against Heaven. My abilities are limited. Even with the little bit of power I have it will not guarantee that she will live." My hands ball up in the lapels of his trench coat, roughly pulling him forward.

"Cas, please. We need her."

His sharp blue eyes cut to Sam, my words dying on my tongue as my grip lessens. He's got Aria partially in his lap, trying to staunch the bleeding in her head. Her skin is pale, breaths ragged and uneven. The angel lets out a long sigh, his features ashen as he crouches beside her, pressing two fingers to her bloodied forehead. My chest heaves in anxiety as I watch him work to save her. What feels like hours is only a couple of minutes before Cas's eyes snap shut and he stumbles back. I catch him, patting him on the shoulder as I glance anxiously at Sam, watching as he checks her pulse.

"I did the best I could. There's a lot of damage to be fixed. She has bleeding in her brain and other internal bleeding. I focused most of my power on her head. It will give you time to reach a hospital," the angel explains as I help him stand.

"Thank you," Sam and I breathe out at the same time.

"You are welcome. She is my friend too."

It's true. She and Cas are basically our guardian angels. They are the only forces beside me and Sam that are standing between Lucifer and Michael. "You should go. I gave you time, but only so much." He takes a step from me, nearly collapsing to the ground.

"Whoa, easy there, man," I mumble, catching him once more. He uses me for support as he straightens.

"I used most of my energy on her, more than I thought."

"Yeah, well, take it easy. Come with us, recharge your batteries. You're no good to anyone if you pass out somewhere." The angel nods and I turn my attention back to Sam. "You got her?" He nods his head, carefully slipping an arm under her shoulders and knee, trying to mind her broken leg.

I wrap Cas's arm over my shoulder and follow after Sam. We lay her across the back seat, her head in Cas's lap. Baby's engine roars in the night air as we speed down the country road back into town. My gaze flickers between the road and rearview mirror where Aria lies. This is my second chance. We were almost too late, but not now. Losing her is not an option.

* * *

A heavy breath leaves me as I enter the hospital room. The steady beep of the monitors meets my ears as I close the door behind me, handing Sam his coffee.

"Anything?"

Aria lies in the hospital bed, all kinds of wires hooked up to her, drugged out. Cas was right when he said there was a lot of damage. She had a skull fracture and was just beginning to show late signs of shock when we arrived. Her lower leg had a complete fracture of the tibia right below her kneecap. They said that's what the shifting was when I pulled her out. Essentially, I pulled the bone back in place. A tremor races through me thinking of the feeling.

"Nothing yet. The doctor said it might be awhile. They had to really knock her out for surgery. Cas fixed most of the bleeding though. They said she was lucky they didn't have to drill her skull to release the pressure." I nod, trying not to picture a drill breaking into her head.

She looks like shit already. The skull fracture gave her two black eyes and she's got fourteen stitches at her hairline. Not to mention her broken collarbone or the black and purple bruise down the center of her chest from her seat belt. She's lucky she made it as long as she did. It was at least an hour and a half before she called us back and there's no telling how long she was out before that.

"Where's Cas?"

Sam shrugs, "Around, probably taking a few laps."

"Is he feeling better?"

The guy was wiped after the healing. Ever since he came back after being blown away by Michael at Chuck's house, he's been getting weaker, more human. It won't be much longer until he can't do anything.

"Yeah, still looks beat though. It might be a day or two before he's back up and running. Remember how he was after the time traveling? That took a while to get him back to somewhat normal."

"I know."

I sip at my hot coffee, letting the heated caffeine jolt me back awake. We lost track of time once she got into surgery. It feels like it's been days, but I'm sure it has only been a few hours. All I know is that it was dark when we got here and now it's light out.

"Police came by. They said the guy in the truck was drunk. He died on impact."

"Good. If he was still alive I'd beat his ass dead," I growl, sitting in the chair beside Sam.

The scary part is that I always think the real threats are the monsters we hunt. Those things are what will kill us, what are supposed to kill us. I forget that stuff like car accidents and humans can do the same thing. It just makes the world a whole lot scarier.

"Bobby called while I was out. Said he'll see what he can do in regards to her car when he gets here."

"He say how far he was?" Sam asks, taking a large drink.

"Three hours. He'll stop by first and then head over to the impound."

Sam nods and the room grows quiet except for the monitors. I watch the steady green line bounce up and down, her heart rate jump back and forth a point of two. If we had been any later we would have been pulling out a dead body.

"She's alive, Dean."

I meet those hazel eyes and envy his ability to focus on the positive. Sam's always managed to keep his hope despite all the crap we've been through. Mine has dried up. At some point, the things that I've seen made it hard to believe that good things can ever come to us. Sam somehow kept that piece of innocence protected all these years. I'm glad for that. I wouldn't want him to be like me, to lose that shred of hope he holds onto so desperately.

"Yeah," I sigh, running a rough hand over my face. _But she almost died._ I leave the comment to myself and watch the TV on the wall. Some infomercial plays, the people's lips moving but the sound on mute. A groan from the bed has my head swiveling. Aria shifts, drawing a weak moan from her. Those bruised eyes open, revealing dark forest green irises that are hazy with drugs. They roll around lazily, trying to take in the room as her free arm comes up to pull at the nasal cannula on her face.

Sam and I hurry to her side, pulling her hand away from her face. "Hey, A., you got to keep that on," my brother explains softly, running his thumb over the top of her hand, careful of the IV there.

"What-"

"Shh, just rest. We'll explain later," I soothe, brushing a few strands from her face. She's still out of it. Anything we try to tell her is only going to be forgotten. Her eyes swim, eyelids fluttering as she gives the tiniest nod possible and slips back into unconsciousness.

"How do you think Bobby's going to be?"

I shrug, "Hard to tell with him. Guy's got a good poker face."

Aria's like a daughter to Bobby and might as well be after everything he's done for her. He took her in and raised her after her family was murdered. Her father was a hunter, but left before she was born to protect her and her mother from the life, only problem is that it still got them. A demon possessed her step-father and slaughtered everyone in front of her. It saved her for last, but her real dad and our dad showed up and exorcised it before any harm could be done. The rest is history. She became a hunter, trained with Bobby and our old man, and became one of the best hunters in the business.

Sam walks back to his chair, sitting down heavily, but I stay rooted beside the bed. It's amazing how in four years this woman has changed both our lives. Sam and I would do anything for each other, that's a given. It has been ever since the day I ran out of our burning house with him in my arms. But Aria, whose only connection to us was our father, would take a bullet for us in a heartbeat. To have someone who's not blood have that kind of devotion is...well it makes that person very special. She came into our lives and lifted a weight from both our shoulders. For me it was the burdens that I carried. She always managed to pull the secrets from me and, because of that, she took on the burden they barred. I squeeze her hand gently.

 _I'm glad you're alive, A._

I turn and snatch the remote from Sam as I settle in my chair, waiting out the drugs that hold our friend asleep.

* * *

I jolt in my chair, relaxing instantly when I see my surroundings. My body slumps back as a long breath rushes from my panicked lungs. The image of Aria's body lying lifeless in front of Sam and me sits at the forefront of my mind. A heavy sigh rushes from me, only to get sharply sucked back in when I hear her voice.

"Are you done dreaming about me dying?"

I shoot up from my seat, staring at the huntress sitting up in bed, a smirk on her face. Cas stands beside the bed with her, arms limp at his sides. I wipe the shock from my face, rushing to her, and kiss her tenderly on the forehead, mindful of her injuries.

"How long have you been up?"

"About an hour," Cas answers for her.

"An hour?" I question more gruffly than intended.

I'm glad she's awake, fucking ecstatic really, but that doesn't mean that I enjoyed the extra sleep. If I knew that she was awake, maybe those dreams wouldn't be so terrible. I glare at the brunette and she gives a single shoulder shrug,

"You were asleep. I'm not stupid. I know you two haven't slept since I got in here. Besides I had my angelic nurse at my side the entire time."

She smirks up at Cas and I roll my eyes. Sam's still passed out in his chair and I let him be. Aria's right. We haven't slept in over twenty-four hours and we need the rest. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was in a car accident."

"That's not funny."

"Eh, a little bit," she comments with a soft smile. I shake my head. She nearly died and she's making jokes about it already. Gentle fingers squeeze mine. "I'm good, Dean, really. I'm chocked full of pain meds. Barely feel a damn thing."

 _Thank god._

The damage done to her was extensive. I don't even want to imagine her writhing around in agony because of pain that some dumbass caused her. A forced smile manages to grace my lips and I squeeze her hand back. "Good."

She leans back, a pained wince fluttering across her face as she situates herself comfortably against the pillow. "Hey, Cas, do you mind getting me a candy bar from the cafeteria?" The angel's brow scrunches in confusion, but he nods nonetheless, taking the couple of bills I automatically pull from my pocket and hand him. He leaves and I look to Aria, questions flitting through my mind. She holds a finger up and a second later Cas pops his head back in.

"What type of candy bar?" The girl's smile spreads wide across her face,

"Anything with chocolate." With that the angel is gone again, off to complete his new mission.

It's silent for few seconds before Aria speaks up, "Thank you."

"For what?" She didn't need to say those words. Not to us after all that she has sacrificed for our asses.

"For getting to me in time." I swallow hard, clearing my throat as I glance at the TV. "Cas told me how bad I was." I nod, forcing the images of her limp in the car, blood flowing from her head far from the front of my mind.

"Yeah," I manage weakly, clutching the bed rail. "You were pretty roughed up."

"Epidural hematoma with a large laceration to my hairline and a complete fracture of my tibia, fractured clavicle, fractured skull, and internal bleeding thanks to my liver." My jaw clenches at the list of injuries. "Cas gave me the full rundown."

I run a hand roughly down my face, a drawn out sigh fluttering free. Aria's sitting in front of me alive and all I keep seeing every time I look at her is a limp body barely breathing. It's like an annoying song that gets stuck in your head, only it's a hell of a lot worse.

"Dean." Her tone is sharp and commanding, reminding me of my dad's voice. She grabs my hand, placing it right over her chest just between her breasts.

"What-"

"Do you feel that?" A steady thumping bounces against my hand. "I'm alive. You can feel that. It's not weak or thready. It's strong and full, pumping life into my veins, all right? Stop imagining me dead and start imagining this heart pumping non-stop until the day you and your brother don't need me anymore because I'm not going anywhere until then." Those forest green eyes are fierce with a thousand emotions. It's a deep, dark abyss of devotion, love, and determination; the same look Sam and I wear when we're fighting for each other. "Now wake that giant of a brother of yours up before he realizes you got to cop a feel and he didn't."

A real laugh leaves me and I forgot how good it feels to do just that; laugh. I kiss her head lightly as Cas steps back into the room looking exhausted and frustrated. He holds up a snickers bar, a gleam of hope in his eyes. Aria barely glances at me before that glint of mischief sparks in her eyes.

"Cas, I hate snickers!"

And everything falls back into place just like that. Because Aria doesn't just give everything up for us she reminds us that we can still feel happiness.


End file.
